Machine-gun belt and the like



V. H. JENNINGS.

MACHINE GUN BELT AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1920.

. 1 346,208. Pafiented July 13, 1920.

orne y .1-.VICTOR. H. JENNINGS,

rATE rs COMPANY, or wooNsoc Er, BHODE IsLANn; A 1 ISLAND.

"ori i al a lication iiled ag, we,

. acter than heretofore employed;

UNITED STATES MACHINE-GUN a T0 allcuhom'it may concern; 1"

7 Be it known that I,'VICTORYH.Y JI{I:1-INIVKI\'IGVS, a citizen of the United States,,residing at Worcester, in the county 'of l/Vorc'ester, State 'Tlie invention isa division of'that originally forming the.subject-.matter of my application for U. S. Letters Patent for improvements in machine-gun belts andt'he f like, filed May 1, 1917, Serial N 165,666.

It is an improvement in machine-gunbelts and othehczirriers of the same general character'and construction as those used asmachine-gun belts. v It provides in novel and improved manner for the combination with such belts or carriers of meansfor stifiening or reinforcing them transversely; it provides for the employment'o-f stiffening means of simpler and less expensive charit lessens the manufacturing cost. 1 y The invention is applicabl in the case of belts or carriers of the type" composed of a web woven in separated plies at intervals so as to form transversely extending loops or ockets for the reception'of cartridges or other articles, and having such plies joine together and united in the weavingbetween one loop or pocket and the next so asto form the divisions between the successive pockets. In practice heretofore the stiffening means employed has comprised strips of metal, called clips, extending crosswise of a. belt or carrier in pairs between adjacent loops or pockets, one metal strip or clip of a pair at one surface of the belt. or carrier and the other thereof at the opposite surface of the belt or carrier, with the two metal strips or clips of a pair bound together by rivets,

usually eyelets. At regular intervals a pair of the metal strips or clips projects beyond one edge of the'belt or carrier to serve as guides in guiding the charged belt or carrier through a machine-gun. The said metal strips or clips stiffen or reinforce the 'belt or carrier transversely so that it will not. crippie or yield transversely when the cartridges are being pushed home within the loops into which they are inserted in loading the belt or carrier. The cost of the metal strips or i dent to applying the said securing them 1n'place,11ncrease considerably with the said pockets or PATENT OFFICE/ 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS; ASS-IGN'OR TO. UNIVERSAL CORPORATION OF RHOD-E BELT AND LIKENM Seriai ,No.f165 36 6} Div idedl and this application'iiled. J anuaIyZ," 1920.. Serial Ngi a iasieg and the expense incistr ps' or cllps and cli s and" the eyelets,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July .13, 192() the costl of belts or carriers made as hereto- The nvention consists, essentially, in a belt orcarr ier having transverse'loops for the reception of cartridges or other articles,

and also formed between thesuccessive loops w th transversely extending pockets or tubes or stiffener strips, I ,tubesclosed at both i p m g containing reinforcing ends thereof, aslit or intermediate point in the or tube being/provided for the. insertion of areinforcing or stiffener strip. i I I "Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings,-in whichlatter,-'- ,Figure'l is a perspective'view showing a portion of the length of amaehine-g'un belt er carrier containing one of-the said illlls" trative embodiments of the invention, with cartridges occupying the loops thereofi small portion of the woven fabric'i s' represented as broken away to show a'reinforcing or stiffener-strip. I i I [Fig is a longitudinal section of the portion- 0f belt or carrier shown' in'Fig'. 1, on a relatively enlarged scale, without any cartridges. 7' if j, Fig. 3 is a cross-section'onlinev 3 3,F ig. 1, also on a relatively enl'arged'scale.

Figif l is, a cross-sectional view showing another of the illustrative embodiments. 'T he machine-gun Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings comprises an integral web woven at intervals in separate plies, 1,1, so as to plies the transversely extending loops 1 for the reception of cartridges 2, 2.. In carrying the invention into effect, the divisions between the said loops, formed by joining the said' plies together and uniting them in form between such located at an length of a, pocket belt that is illustrated in the weaving, are woven so as to provlde.

is shown embodied in at an edge of the belt or carrier. The pockets occupied by'the guide-strips 4? are open atone edge of the belt or carrier to permit the end-portions of the said strips st" to project beyond such edge, but the pockets or tubes3 for the reception ofthe shorter strips, 4-, are closed at both edges of the belt or carrier as illustrated in Fig. 3, to prevent or stiffener strips at lengthwise in either direction. Preferably the pockets or tubes occupied by the guide-strips 4 are woven closed along theedge 0f the belt or carrier opposite thatat which they project.

A belt or carrier such as'that shown in Figs. 1, 2-and 3 is produced by weaving the plies l, 1, separate from each other to form a cartridge-receiVingloop, then bindingthe two plies together in the Weaving at'5 crosswise of the web to close the'said loop at one side thereof, then weaving separate plies 6, 6, to form a stiffener receptacle or tube, with such plies united in the'weaving along both edges'of the web as clearly indicated Figs. 1 and 3, "with an intermediatelylocated slit 3"in one ply for the insertion of a strip 4. The plies are then bound together in the'w eaving at 7 crosswise of the web ,to close the said receptacle or tube, then separate plies 1,J1,' ar'e woven to form a second cartridge-receiving loop, and so on. This mode of weaving produces a belt or carrier woven at intervals in two plies which are separated to form open-ended pockets or loopsfor the insertion of cartridges, and between the cartridge-receiVing loops woven with divisions having-receptacles-or tubes, for the reception of stiffening or reinforcing strips, such receptacles or tubes closed at both ends and provided with an intermediate opening for the insertion-of I the stiffening or reinforcing strips.

The stiffening or reinforcing'strips may be of any suitable and approved material, al-

though in practice strips of Walohn are displacement of tlie"1fei11forcii1g guides project, if omitted from the drawings outward through the openings' located at one edge of the belt or carrier in the case of the receptacles or tubes occupied by the guide-strips, although fastenings or securing'means' may be employed ifrdeemed or founddesirable. v

f In Fig. 4L the opening forthe insertion of the'stiffening or reinforcing strip 4? ex tends across a considerable portion of the width ofthe belt'or carrier, and the intermediate portion of the length of the strip 4: is fastened down by means of an eyelet 3 Some other convenient form of fastening might be adopted instead of the eyelet 3. V The belt or carrier may be headed, as usual, along the'edge thereof at which the desired. The beading is for convenience in illustration. 7

I cl'aim as my invention, j Abelt or carrier having transverse loops for, there'ception of cartridges or other articles, having between the successive loops transversely extending pockets or tubes-containing reinforcing or stiffener strips and closed at both ends thereof, and having slits or openings intermediate said ends to provide for the insertion of the reinforcing or stiffener strips. I In testimony whereof I affix my s ignature in presence 'of two witnesses; v i V 7 VICTOR H. JENNINGS; WVitnesses: I

ALICE M. TIsnALE, A. LORETTA. MATTIMORE.

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 1,346,208, granted July 13, 1920, upon the application of Victor H. Jennings, of 'Worcester, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Machine-Gun Belts and the like, were erroneously issued to Universal Patents Company, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, whereas said Letters Patent should have been issued to Frank R. Batchelder, of Worcester, Massachusetts, said Batchelder being assignee, by mesne assignments, of the entire interest in said invention, as shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22d day of February, A. D., 1921.

[SEAL] L. B. MANN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. CI. 8935.

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 1,346,208, granted July 13, 1920,

upon the application of Victor H. Jennings, of Worcester, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Machine-Gun Belts and the like, were erroneously issued to Universal Patents Company, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Whereas said Letters Patent should have been issued to Frank R. Batehelrler, of Worcester, Massachusetts,

said Batchelder being assignee, by mesne assignments, of the entire interest in said invention, as shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22d day of February, A. D., 1921..

[SEAL] L. B. MANN,

Acting C'ommtssioner of Patents. 01. 89-35., 

